Darry Worthington takes a look at the six Mitre 10 Cup Round 2 fixtures being played between Friday the 16th and Sunday the 18th of August.
Round 2 of the Mitre 10 Cup is set to be an absolute cracker with some intriguing ties taking place including a clash between what will be a smarting Canterbury and an in-form Tasman.
North Harbour v Counties Manakau
Friday 16 August
North Harbour Stadium
07:45
To Win (80 Mins)
North Harbour 3/10
Draw 20/1
Counties 51/20
North Harbour will be looking to back up their solid showing in Round 1 when they take on a Counties side that was just beaten by Taranaki last weekend.
The hosts came from behind last weekend to salvage a respectful 28-28 draw with Premiership champions, Auckland. They could have actually won the game had they not missed a late shot at goal.
Counties also were extremely unlucky not to bag a win as they went down 29-34 to Taranaki. This weekend’s visitors were excellent on attack in Round 1 and we can expect another open game here.
Verdict: North Harbour 3/10
While Counties did ply some great rugby in the opening week, I don’t think they’re good enough to beat a strong North Harbour side away from home.
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Hawke’s Bay v Wellington
Friday 16 August
McLean Park
09:45
To Win (80 Mins)
Hawke’s Bay 7/4
Draw 20/1
Wellington 9/20
Hawke’ Bay and Wellington will close out Friday’s action. The two sides experienced contrasting fortunes in Round 1 with Wellington getting hammered 45-8 by Tasman and Hawke’s Bay claiming a solid 13-31 away win over Manawatu.
Verdict: Wellington 9/20
Wellington are a good side despite the heavy Round 1 loss. I think they’ll bounce back with a win in excess of 10 points.
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Manawatu v Taranaki
Saturday 17 August
Central Energy Trust Arena
04:05
To Win (80 Mins)
Manawatu 15/4
Draw 22/1
Taranaki 1/5
Saturday’s action will get underway out in Palmerston North where Manawatu and Taranaki will square off. The hosts come into this one off the back of a disappointing result with Manawatu going down by 18 points to Hawke’s Bay. Taranaki had a better time of it in the opening round as they beat sonny Bill-Williams’ Counties Manakau by five points.
Verdict: Taranaki 1/5
Manawatu look like they are going to struggle this term. I can see them losing this one by between 12 and 18 points.
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Otago v Southland
Saturday 17 August
Forsyth Barr
06:35
To Win (80 Mins)
Otago 1/12
Draw 30/1
Southland 6/1
The first Ranfurly Shield Challenge of the year with take place at Forsyth Barr where holders Otago will accept the challenge from last season’s Championship whipping boys, Southland.
Otago got their campaign off to an extremely poor start as they went down 5-7 to Bay of Plenty. Southland are the ideal side to bounce back against as, while they are capable of putting up a fight, they haven’t won a game in a ridiculously long time.
Verdict: Otago 1/12
The hosts should get a win here but I don’t think it will be by a huge margin. As such, if you’re offered a plus handicap in the high-teens I would recommend getting on that.
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Canterbury v Tasman
Sunday 18 August
Oragetheory Stadium
04:05
To Win (80 Mins)
Canterbury 5/4
Draw 20/1
Tasman 13/20
Sunday’s double-header kicks off with a cracker as Canterbury and Tasman do battle. The hosts had a rather poor start to their 2019 campaign as they went down 31-28 to Waikato. Tasman had a far better opening round as the Markos made a massive statement in beating Wellington 45-8.
The two sides met twice last season with Tasman winning the round-robin phase game 25-17 and Canterbury winning the semi-final clash 16-21.
Verdict: Tasman 13/20
The Markos look the real deal this year and I can see them opening up their campaign with back-to-back victories.
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Bay of Plenty v Waikato
Sunday 18 August
Rotorua International Stadium
06:35
To Win (80 Mins)
Bay of Plenty 11/10
Draw 20/1
Waikato 8/10
Bay of Plenty will be looking to build on a marvellous 50-7 victory over Otago when they take on Premiership new boys, Waikato.
Like their hosts, Waikato also got their season off to a solid start as they beat Canterbury 31-28. The victory was all the more impressive considering Waikato came from behind to win the game.
Verdict: Waikato 8/10
They showed a lot of grit last weekend and I can see a similarly dogged display seeing Waikato to a win here.
